Embodying Empathy: Dance/Movement Therapy after Unthinkable Trauma
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- čas přidán 2. 05. 2014
- In post-conflict Sierra Leone, David Alan Harris launched the world's first dance/movement therapy group for former child combatants. Dancing essentially reprogrammed the ex-boy-soldiers' traumatized nervous systems and enabled the youths to mend the mind-body split that had alienated them from themselves as from their communities. Calling themselves Poimboi Veeyah Koindu (Orphan Boys of Koindu, in their tribal language) this group of former boy soldiers claimed an international human rights award, the 2009 Freedom to Create Youth Prize, which honored their exceptional courage in using the transformative power of art to reconcile with the community they'd violated. Harris' talk reminds us that, without the dancing, it never would have happened.
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David Alan Harris, MA, BC-DMT, NCC, LCAT, LPC is an award-winning Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist who specializes in fostering resilience and recovery among survivors of human rights abuse, and war. Presently, a clinician with the Minds & Hearts in Harmony program for survivors of torture and their families in Maine, David supervised a team of paraprofessional trauma counselors for just under two years in rural Sierra Leone in the aftermath of that African country's ruthless conflict. He introduced counselors in both Liberia and Sierra Leone to dance/movement therapy (DMT) methods. He conducted trainings in a refugee camp, and launched the first DMT group in West Africa-the first anywhere for former child combatants.
David accepted the prestigious Freedom to Create 2009 Youth Prize at London's Victoria and Albert Museum on behalf of the boy soldiers' DMT group. The international human rights award honored the youths' courage in using dance to foster reconciliation with their war-ravaged community. In 2007, the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) bestowed on David both its research award and its Leader of Tomorrow award.
David lectures and writes about the application of DMT, movement-based creative activities, and other pertinent counseling interventions developed to foster psychosocial healing in the aftermath of massive violence. His writings have been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and he conducts trainings for audiences around the world. He has accepted invitations to speak about his therapeutic work at more than a dozen institutions of higher education, as well as at international gatherings, including the IX International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) Symposium in Berlin; at McGill's Division of Transcultural Psychiatry in Montreal; and at London's Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State, David has also offered workshops for civil society groups in Zimbabwe during a period of enormous upheaval as a way of boosting local capacity to serve survivors of the country's raging political violence.
You can learn more about Harris' work at www.global-wellbeing.org.
very interesting concept, and very impactful story. it is profound to see how dance can unite such a separated mind and body. it shows how the best type of healing sometimes comes with acceptance and community, which is such a powerful concept
Really good point. I did not focus as much on the community aspect in this talk. But you’re right to note that this therapeutic work was not only about these boys/men healing, but about healing the community and relationships. Acknowledging and facing both the harm done to them and taking accountability for the harm they caused.
Very interesting video! I loved to hear how dancing helped these kids organize their bodily experience and understand instead of re-living post traumatic sensations with the terror they endured. It is amazing to see how DMT can take something so horrible as trauma and make it something bearable for children to cope with. DMT can allow for these children's minds can be reconnected to their bodies, which is so powerful.
I agree! The body and mind connection is so crucial for our well-being, so it is amazing that they were able to regain a sense of this connection again.
This is a powerful experience that demonstrated the vital importance of dance integrated with metaphoric play can lead to a transformative healing process. I really appreciate David Alan Harris's courage, passion and dedication to his DMT work with former child combatants.
Former child combatants?! This population is one that needs so much attention. The trauma that these children experienced at such a young age will stay with them forever and the need to process and understand is imperative. As the speaker said, this population loses their humanity, separates their mind and body, and dissociates in order to survive. The reintegration of mind and body is what this population needs to recover, understand and move past their trauma.
The speaker emphasizes the point that DMT can bring power and resilience to even the most vulnerable populations.What a powerful story and a beautiful intervention that was performed to aid in healing of some deep-seeded trauma that was experienced by these teenage boys through "understanding, not reliving".
A beautiful story! It was very moving hearing that as they all grew a connection through these activities, trust grew amongst them and they all helped one another with acceptance. I loved the hugging picture by the way! I truly do believe and agree that dancing does help build connections!
I agree, this story has always been very moving to me, I think it really highlights the power of movement and dance!
Some main takeaways that I took from this talk, “children at war learn to suppress much of what makes them human.” This can extend to, people who have experienced trauma and/or abuse, who often struggle with dissociation. While dissociation is a tool for survival during traumatic times, it’s not a long term healthy coping tool, and causes a disconnect between the self/mind and body. Dance/movement therapy “helps to mend the mind/body split.” This talk again highlighted ways dance/movement therapy has unique benefits/potential, and how it can help someone process trauma/events that they may not be ready or able to do talk therapy around, and provides a direct avenue for working on dissociation/mind body split.
This talk is deeply moving and powerful. I appreciate the way David Alan Harris spoke about dissociation as a part of trauma. It seems for his group that dissociation was necessary for survival, which I'm sure can be a common theme among those who experience trauma. I think of the safety that is required to settle back into one's body after experiencing such pain. It seems like Harris was able to facilitate safety through the environment of the group as well as through the movements they engaged in. I found the imagery and metaphor in their collective movement to be so powerful. The quote stating the group members were "trying to force us to give up on them" was so powerful and speaks to my own experiences with kids who have faced abandonment before. I feel honored to be given a glimpse at the healing that took place within this group.
I love how David portrayed his message through a story instead of just spurting facts about how Dance/Movement Therapy can help after unthinkable trauma. The story was powerful and had my full attention. What really stuck out to me was when Ted said "Dance helped them organize their experience and not just relive it, it reprogrammed them". I can't imagine what it is like to relive atrocities like the ones those kids faced. But I find it incredible that dance helped them come to terms and move forward.
Me too. They did not have many resources, as David mentioned, emphasizes the importance of this therapy even more.
This is phenomenal. So glad to see such a skilled DMT doing such important work.
As someone that has experienced severe childhood trauma, working with others that have experienced trauma is extremely interesting to me. I loved learning about how dance therapy can help those with trauma.
I appreciate the emphasis of choice that David discusses in his experience. He shows compassion for the complexity of situation of these teenagers and their ability to literally move together to reach a place of taking accountability for their actions and creating a sense of self-acceptance. The choice of music and construction of the performance seems to lend itself to increasing self-empowerment.
I greatly appreciate the story that David Alan Harris shared and how passionate and empathetic he was for the boys he helped. When telling his story, he never once blamed the boys or accused them of doing awful acts of their own will: he addressed them as human individuals who needed help and support. I believe his experience is quite amazing because it not only was a journey to help the boys rediscover themselves and their emotions, but a profound connection made between himself, the boys, and the villagers who witnessed their performance and transformation.
What an incredible story and significant example of the positive impact DMT can have on the lives of many. I wonder how long he worked with this group of boys. I would assume it to be awhile considering the terrible trauma they faced and the progress they were able to achieve. It is crazy to me to think that dance is something that can help people with mental illness so much and be something that we all simply have access to.
One point that really stood out to me was when David mentioned that dance movement therapy helps in reorganizing bodily experiences. Dance, I believe, is a way for a person to express his feelings. When he is able to acknowledge his feelings, he is able to organize them and understand where the feelings derive from. It also resonated with me that expression helps diffuse tensions that are held within oneself, both physical and mental tensions.
The wording he chose when he spoke of the reorganization of bodily experience as a way to "understand, not merely relive," the traumatic experiences was so powerful. The severed connection between body and mind that these boys had to go through to survive created a rift in the experience of their memories. The pain they carried in their bodies could not be accessed through the mind. As you mentioned, dance can be an expression of feelings, and for these boys, the dance they did together unlocked a way to let their bodies speak those feelings. Beautiful.
To begin, I am deeply grieved to here what these boys went through. The experiences that was shared are so deeply traumatizing and horrifying. I am so glad that through the DMT group, David helped them to reconnect to themselves to allow for healing, and that their community could genuinely see the change and accept them again. One thought that I had was the complex nature of how movement can tend for so many things internally. I'm sure when David was beginning to work with the boys, he did not go into it thinking, "so we need to make sure they hold my leg down because it's going to help the boys in a number of ways". It came about from the boys themselves. Even though they had been disassociated for a long time, their bodies eventually brought them to the movements that would help them to heal. I think this is so beautiful and powerful.
At minute 2:00, David Alan Harris tells us, "Children at war learn to suppress much of what it means to be human. They have to in order to survive the horror of what they witness and the guilt of their own actions." I cannot imagine bottling such strong feelings and gruesome sights within myself. The dissociation of mind from body is hard to comprehend without oneself undergoing such traumatic experiences. To me, it is beyond amazing how David was able to use dance/movement therapy to reconnect those vital mind-body elements of a functioning person.
It's so interesting because they were raised to show no emotion, so I can't imagine how hard it must be to trust someone saying to show your emotions.
This experience shared by David Alan Harris is truly remarkable as to how he was able to help the boy ex-soldiers through their trauma; like he mentioned, a lot of their movement and ideas probably stemmed from their horrible experiences, but they wouldn't even realize why they were doing this. This is fascinating to me and inspirational to see the lengths to which dance movement therapy extends.
I totally agree. This video was so powerful and dance therapy can be such a useful form of psychotherapy.
David Alan Harris’ talk was very touching and clearly articulated. His bravery to enter a treatment setting with such young boys who had survived such horrible and traumatic events is very amazing. Harris’ immediate explanation of dissociation between the mind and body as a tool these boys had to use in order to survive their new lives was a great introduction to his use of Dance/Movement Therapy with this group. This mind/body split is what has made it so difficult for these young men to re-integrate into their former communities and homes. Having seen some of David’s footage of these sessions, I had an idea of what he was describing. However, by watching this talk, I was once again reminded of the power of dance/movement therapy.
David Alan Harris' work is a true inspiration. These children have seen and done things that are unforgettable and to be able to help them cope and recover through movement is amazing. His passion for his work can be heard in this video and also seen in the results of the children he worked with.
This story truly shows the impact that dance can have on people. Given how much these boys went through, its incredible that they were even able to open up about it. What is even more amazing is the strength they showed in being able to share their story through dance to the community which helped everyone involved.
I found the community performance and subsequent "embrace" and reintegration to be such a profound part of these boy's stories. I agree with you that they possessed such immense strength in getting to a place where they were able to open up with people outside of their group. I am grateful that the members of the community had the compassion that they did as they had suffered great hurt as well.
David Alan Harris's work is inspiring and courageous. By bringing the power of dance to youths who have been traumatized beyond belief through forced participation as child soldiers, he has allowed for creativity and expressive movement to encourage healing. I appreciated that he said the goal was not to help them forget the unforgettable, but to learn to deal with those actions, and discover healthy ways to move forward with their lives through tolerance.
I have seen David's work and heard him present. His use of embodying empathy in his work with children who had experienced unspeakable horrors show the power of dance/movement therapy to aid in healing from trauma. The use of the body and of unconditional positive regard in it's use allowed these boys to move into productive, full lives. Their use of movement allowed them to portray to their community their role in the horrors of the war and their need to be members of humanity. The community's embrace of these children as their own moves me to tears. Your work is beautiful David.
David speaks about his experience working with children soldiers in Sierra Leone whose parents were taken from them and slaughtered at a very young age. Because of these traumatic occurrences in life these children have dissociated their mind and body while taking away moral reasoning. This relates to nonverbal communication because by using dance movement therapy exercises David instilled in these boys that through dance, muscular and psychic tensions can be released to heal thoughts of traumatic occurrences. David's empathy for the children's fear of abandonment let him better understand and treat their grief. I think it is important for the general community to know that there are other ways to deal with grief than having to verbalize emotions but it is also effective to express it through movement as a therapeutic outlet.
This is amazing! I think that David Alan Harris' work is very inspiring and it is amazing how he is expanding the world of dance movement therapy. Having previously researched this population and David Alan Harris' work with them it a privilege to be able to have this video available to hear him speak about the experience. Due to the boys atrocities, they were forced to separate mind and body being able to commit horrors. Therefore the boys have a difficult time connecting these entities and finding a new home after the atrocities are over. Through dance movement therapy they had the opportunity to recognize there experiences and emotions. Through creative expression the boys could release tension. My favorite part of the work that David Alan Harris did was the ability of the boys to reconnect with the community.
The work that David Alan Harris has done, and is doing, is admirable and clearly making a difference in the lives of the children he works with. The powerful statement at the very end, "Without the dancing, it never would have happened" speaks to the importance and the need for dance/movement therapy with all populations, ages, etc. It is empowering to think that this work can make such a difference to the lives of many, and gives me hope for the growth of the field in years to come.
Wow. The inner conflict that these boys persevered through is tremendous. Too not only be faced with the necessary severing of the mind/body connection to survive, but also to wrestle with the dichotomy of being both victim to, and perpetrator of, violence after the fact, speaks measures to the strength of these boys, their community, and dance/movement therapy as a vehicle to heal. I hope that this story can motivate others to seek help, or offer help, despite feelings or outside influences claiming healing is an impossibility for some. Thank you.
It is quite amazing seeing how dance movement therapy can help heal together the split mind and body of children who experienced such brutal trauma. Dance movement therapy proves to have an impressive range of treatments.
It is so impressive to see this type of range in treatments especially for most traumatized patients. It's truly amazing to see how this community changed and accepted them through dance therapy
This story is so moving. Harris's work with the boys was inspiring and very informational. The way he described how dancing release not only physical tension but psychological tension they built up and hidden away from their trauma. I also thought how he was able to in a way reenact the trauma with these men through symbolism and use that as therapy was an amazing accomplishment. A truly inspiring story.
I definitely agree. Even while recreating the trauma, he remained calm and justified and found reasoning behind their movements.
This story is truly awe-inspiring. It continues to amaze me how DMT changes the lives of such diverse groups of people. It is very interesting to hear how these individuals who have suffered a great trauma can come back from these terrible scenes and can start to socialize and feel like themselves again. Healing the process of dissociation is such a valuable task, I truly hope this is not looked over in future therapies.
Watching this again after a few years I am still moved. David and his team of local aides had to do a lot of internal work to show unconditional acceptance of these boys even as they portrayed raping women, which they were forced to do or be killed themselves. These boys took tremendous risk to open themselves up to all the pain from their past. They deserved the award they won. The fact that dance was already a normal part of their culture made it easier for David to come in and use dance to make connections. The fact that these boys earliest years were full of love and connection to their families and communities gave them something to reconnect to as they embarked on their healing journey. I am moved to tears as I think of horrors of war and the power of dance to heal.
The story of the people from Sierra Leone was heartbreaking but moving. It's amazing that dancing helped mend their disassociation.
I am so inspired by David Alan Harris' work in that he is reaching populations who need extreme therapeutic interventions and places that Dance Movement Therapy hasn't reached before. Connecting the cultural relevance of dance to why using dance as a form expression is so effective and powerful for these youths was insightful. It makes me wonder what other populations of individuals Dance Movement Therapy should be introduced to. David Alan Harris' work shows me that no person or population has experienced so much trauma that they cannot heal and recover from it. His talk and previous footage I have watched holds a strong witness to the immense power of movement to heal mind, body, and spirit.
I feel like so many different communities would benefit from DMT. It is so universal and adaptable.
This was a touching video. Thank you.
So through dance movement therapy, David Alan Harris was able to help ex-child soldiers from Sierra Leone rewire themselves and heal wounds to their psyches and interpersonal relationships caused by warfare. It seems like one thing the dance did for the boys was to provide them a medium for their conscious minds to literally see what their emotionally disconnected bodies had stored away and were expressing, probably especially when they could see themselves mirrored by the other boys dancing. This is powerful to me: dancing "fully helped them organize their experiences and *understand*, not just relive" them. I think the alternate pathway to self-communication here was key. It's reminiscent of how in split-brain experiments a patient with a cut corpus callosum used his observation of what his hands were doing to communicate to his other-side brain what the hand-side was seeing. It's also kind of interesting how the dance & artistic expression in the end became an aid to "re-integration" on multiple levels (self mind/body-wise, interpersonal attachment-wise (to each other and their symbolic caretaker), and community-wise (redeeming and acclimating themselves to their post-war community)).
Fascinating how dance was able to heal the divide in these young boys body and mind connection. I especially appreciated David's explanation of their processing of their paradoxical identities as both perpetrator and victim in the violence they experienced and how the therapy was able to help heal them.
Glad to see someone so passionate about their work. While I'm not fond of over-analyzing the human psyche, I do agree that dance therapy does have significant symbolic and cathartic value for those who willingly engage in it and know they can feel safe with self-expression. Bravo, David Alan Harris!
This story is amazing. To think that this division can be mended shows how incredibly profound the power of DMT. It seems that if any part of this story was altered it wouldn't have resulted in such a wonderful end. This also speaks to the power of love, forgiveness, and courage. It's truly inspiring.
Yes! Great Point! I am just glad that David was given a platform to give this talk and spread the news about all the good DMT can do for people that are suffering or need help!
David uses movement to process, to cope, to build resilience, and “to live with what can never be forgotten.” His explanation
of the mindset of children of war splitting mind and body out of pure necessity is both chilling and humanizing in its honesty.
He does not blame his clients, he listens and understands the severity of their situation though it is unimaginable. His directive to move vigorously is more than re-experiencing, it is reclaiming. Upon hearing the lack of empathy in vocal testimony, I give great credit to David and the facilitators -which must have taken great personal bravery and strength. The repeated pattern of holding his limbs down in dance play absolutely merited exploration, and David offers valid hypotheses. His allowance of “aggressive but nonviolent play” was crucial in their healing- he did not ask a gentle approach, he asked for authentic improvisation. Through this came trust that the leaders could hold their trauma and would not leave. I am deeply appreciative for the truth of this narrative. In his talk it is clear that David moved and was powerfully moved by these 12 individuals.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video it really shed light onto the horror some people are forced into. I am so glad that this DMT was available to them. I honestly could not image how touch deprivation of that degree could be overcame. It was nice for them to have an outlet to express their emotional trauma and open up to David. This was intense and when they were in close proxemics to show the extreme trauma they endured. Ist through dance that they were able to integrate the self and allow the toxic violent feelings to be released in this therapeutic manner is such a beautiful thing.
This was very empowering. David Alan Harris did amazing work and those children are changed because of him. They would not have been able to come to grips with their actions without his use of dance/movement therapy. Very inspiring!!!
It broke my heart to listen to such gut-wrenching stories, but hearing how their community finally accepted them back after the horrific tragedies was inspiring. Both for me and for people I know, dance is a beautiful way to play with your identities, and to explore the things that seem to rip you in two different directions. That internal conflict is easiest to explore with the body, and then the mind can begin to untangle it.
The work that David Alan Harris has done is truly amazing. I have seen some of the video footage of the former child soldiers participating in dance/movement therapy and it gives me hope for the future. In most circumstances these children would be ostracized, having to live out their lives continuously suffering from their previous actions. I couldn't imagine some of the terrible things these boys had witnessed or been forced to do, but thanks to Harris they have a safe way to express their feelings and gain support. I hope this work continues and can help many more child soldiers and military personnel alike
I love the presentation of this really difficult topic. It was truly inspiring to see how dance therapy changed the lives of these boys and reconnected them with their community. It is so cool to see how dance therapy can go beyond just he patients and into the world as well.
Amazing work! Thank you for sharing the power of dance/movement therapy.
This story is remarkable. I'm happy the boys were re-accepted into their communities and were mostly able to make peace with their doings. It's a shame that children have to witness such horrific events and moving through dance was able to bridge the mind-body gap they had created. I love that dance is a culturally accepted form of release because dancing, as we saw, has so many healing capabilities for both mind and body.
As a dancer myself, I also love the fact that dance is a culturally accepted form of release. Personally, dance helps me in many ways, as to dealing with stress, anxiety, or if I'm just feeling tense in general. I'm glad it's a culturally accepted activity.
I love that dance is a culturally acceptable form as well, I think that if dance did not play such an important role in society, they would not have been able to make so much progress in such a short amount of time.
Hearing about the work of dance/movement therapy is always so inspiration to me. What great strides this groups of men made with the trauma they endured; how they came to terms with the emotions they have been suppressing for so long is remarkable. Harris's description and experience with these traumatized ex-boy-soldiers really shows how universal the language of movement is, and how powerful movement can be on oneself and the community. The fact that these former child combatants were able to tolerate their emotions about being in war, and how the community accepted them after expressing their movement patterns in performance was such a challenging and rewarding experience to hear about. Thank you for your work and sharing this experience.
I appreciate David's insight into his positionality and relationship with the group of boys he worked with in Sierra Leone. This is such important work, and it is vital that we as DMTs are constantly examining our position of power and privilege within the communities we serve.
One of the most interesting parts of this talk was David's ability to analyze the movement of the boy's to the events that they had experienced. It is an extremely sad story, but David did a great job in sharing their stories both as victims and perpetrators and how dance helped them come to peace with this personal duality
That is a good point. David seems very skilled for being able to interpret their movements like he did.
It is always hard and sad to think that there are still many children who are suffering from certain horror and pain that I could never experience and truly understand. It is really amazing that people like David could use dance therapy to do something for these children and help them reconcile with their body and community.
It is amazing that the use of dance movement allowed for understanding of the PTSD the boys were experiencing. This did not mean that the boys were reliving the violent memories, but rather were able to release these feelings through their culturally inspired dance movement. Through this collective expression the boys were able to find safety and trust again.
Really powerful talk and descriptions about the use and benefits of dance/movement therapy...sometimes found even in the most unexpected and difficult places. Thanks for sharing this work!
This is such an inspiring video because the power of dance was able to completely encompass and express the emotions of these former child soldiers. The fact that their minds and bodies were completely disconnected, but were able to be brought together through dance and expression is fascinating. It is also important to note the double meaning that can be viewed behind some of the children's actions: those which represent their role as a soldier and those which represent their victimized past. This is a true success story, highlighting the ways dance and movement therapy can change lives all for the better.
The amazing depths and complexities of what DMT can do to help people is amazing. I am surprised but encouraged by the growth that such a therapy can foster in a person. As he explains the help that he gave to these youths, he shares their growth and transformation into something more than they were forced to become.
David Alan Harris spoke about working with children at war from Sierra Leone. He spoke about these kids having to learn suppress much of their emotion and known to have an advanced skill of disassociation. Harris said he would encourage the children to move vigorously and with force which helped them understand not to relive the traumatic experience but understand the event. This is in effect reprogrammed the boys traumatizing disorder system. Harris experimented with the kids with allowing them to use their kinesphere to express their emotions. This in return helped strengthen their self awareness and symbolize the violence they experienced or were exposed to. This links to an exercise we did in class when learning Laban’s Efforts. We were given an open space and allowed to analyze and be aware of our proximity to others and the use of our individual kinesphere. One key face I drew from the presentation and I felt was important was the fact that these
former child soldiers claimed an international human rights award in 2009. They were awarded this award for the courage that they had to reconcile with a community they previously violated through dance. This illustrated the power of dance on a cross cultural level.
This story is truly inspiring and told so well. It shows how powerful dance movement therapy can be not just in therapy sessions but beyond them as well and incorporated into everyday life.
This is what I wrote about as well Rebecca, how inspirational it is to see that dance can carry someone through an emotional journey to help them release the burden of their trauma.
David Alan Harris talks about his experience working with former child combatants in a civil war in West Africa. He speaks about their dissociation from body because of their traumatic experiences. This relates to nonverbal communication because by applying dance movement therapy techniques David was able to relieve years of body tension on these boys and show them a way to express what their mind is feeling through movement. The body will always reveal what the mind is thinking as it is frequently noted in nonverbal communication, David's ability to tap into this suppression from these boys through dance movement therapy proves just that. I think this is something important for the general community overall because it proves just how dance movement or any type of movement can express your emotions even when you believe you cannot speak about them or you fear to be misunderstood by others. Through dance you can be sure you are understood and express exactly you feel.
This video was very moving and inspiring. The improvement from these boys who were involvement with rebels and served as soldiers was astonishing, who went from having problems being a part of their previous community to understanding their post traumatic experiences and being able to successfully function in society once again. Movement was the reason why they are now able to lead lives with purpose and confidence, while comprehending their feelings about their past and regaining feelings of sympathy and compassion. Overall, this video was captivating while informative in the importance of dance movement therapy.
I have seen video footage of some of his sessions with these youth, and they are incredible. This is such a great demonstration of how movement is a language that can be used all over the world to reach people and how dance/movement therapy can help unite the different parts of the self and the self with others.
Right!! Media really keeps things hidden, but this is so intriguing!
I am so appreciative of the perspective shared in terms of working with power dynamics in an embodied way. I’m curious of how these expericentals can be further explored to give greater feelings of true empowerment to the clients.
David offers an accessible resource to children who have experienced complex trauma. Although it is challenging for these children to trust others, especially adults, and be in their bodies, dance/movement therapy creates that safe space. And for maybe the first time, a safe world. As with all trauma work, it reminds me how much a privilege choice is, and to move at will. I think it would be great to also learn about how D/MTs and other professionals in this work process and prevent vicarious trauma.
David Alan Harris opens his talk with a reasonable question: How can one live or cope with horrific trauma? This trauma that David speaks of is one that many of us in the United States, fortunately, do not know. A kind of trauma we cannot even imagine. However, David paints for us a picture of what the realities are for child soldiers in Sierra Leone, providing a message of hope that is resiliency, empowerment, and healing through dance. I appreciate David explaining the mind-body disconnection that happens for child soldiers in an authentic and empathetic manner, which serves to help us understand the social, emotional, and behavioral challenges of these 12 teenage boys. For them, creative expression through dance was the ideal tool for healing this mind-body disconnection. I also appreciate David mentioning the impact his Whiteness and authority had on the youths while sharing a moment from a group dance, as it played an important role in the non-verbal expression and healing process. In the same example, he understandingly described the aggressive symbolic movement behavior as a necessary part in the healing and therapeutic relationships. I am very moved and inspired by this talk and the courage of these youths as well as David Alan Harris to go through a difficult journey of transformation and reconciliation - all because of dance. Thank you so much for sharing!
What an amazing glimpse into the power of Dance Movement Therapy! David Alan Harris so articulately describes his experience with these former child soldiers and their healing process, which is uniquely facilitated by dance. Highly recommend this video! :)
Yes, I love how dance facilitates this healing process. By noticing the kid's actions and trying to understand why they move the way they move, David is able to really help these children overcome trauma that no human should ever experience.
Its amazing that DMT can increase self awareness after such impactful events that break the mind body ties
impassioned and compelling presentation
David Alan Harris talks about his experience working with former child combatants and the relationship that was created among the group as they begun to reintegrate their body and mind. He also addresses the ways in which the group tested the therapists' acceptance of them by re-imitating combat moves. This relates to nonverbal communication because dance movement allowed them to release muscle tension as well as to express combat memories and hardships through movement. They were able to express what they had experienced and it the process it allowed the therapists' to empathize with them and show them that they what they were expressing was understood. I think it is important for people to be aware that Dance Therapy helps people express their emotions and the sorrows that are sometimes too hard to put into words because of the fear of being misunderstood.
I have never thought of using DMT for ex-boy soldiers, but that probably has to do with the vastly different cultures and societal norms. I like how some were able to become embodied, because it is so important in dealing with such severe trauma.
This was such an inspiring story to listen to! The healing that can take place through group dance/movement therapy sessions is amazing. It also gave these children life-long skills and helped them reconnect with themselves and others. David Alan Harris is doing such important work!
Separating mind and body as a defense mechanism seems to be a common trend from victims of trauma. Victims of sexual abuse seem to have similar tendencies as to not connect what happened to their body as being the reason they have psychological damage. They boys capturing and immobilizing David Alan Harris gave the boys a power and recognition of tolerance to their past in a form of play, not violence. By holding him down, they could not lose an adult figure they had learned to love and he would not abandon them.
how i can join with ADTA?
Hi Marjuka. You may learn more about dance/movement therapy and join the ADTA at www.adta.org!